MOSCOW, July 15 (RAPSI) – 20 people died in a metro accident in Moscow today, Deputy Mayor Pyotr Biryukov, Chairman of the Emergencies Commission under the Moscow government, told journalists.

Biryukov said 149 people had requested medical assistance and 106 of them had been taken to hospitals. Medical helicopters airlifted 24 seriously injured people.

“According to the head of the transport department, the causes of the accident are being investigated by the agencies concerned. The official added that there was no evidence of a terrorist attack,” the Dozhd (Rain) TV channel announced, citing Maxim Liksutov.

A spokesperson for the Investigative Committee said they were considering criminal proceedings and that investigative officers were at the scene.
Three metro cars derailed on a section between the Park Pobedy and Slavyansky Bulvar metro stations in the west on the city during peak commute hours this morning. The causes are unclear: City rescue workers mentioned a pressure jump, while the metro authorities said there was smoke.